Louder than Sirens
by Betty Royale
Summary: What exactly did Lisa Garland dream about when Harry left her that snowy day in her apartment? Silent Hill: Shattered Memories one shot, ohhh yeah! Rated 'M' for the heck of it. SPOILERS GALORE!


Hello, hello. Uh, yeah.. I'm back. Hai, hai. :D

Back with a brand new one-shot, aww yeah baby. I can't say I'm too much a fan of this one but, after watching Lisa die AGAIN in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, I kind of got inspired. We're never told what her dream is about so.. yeah. Here's my take on it.

As you've probably guessed by now, I do not own Silent Hill. Nor do I own the song from which the title was taken ('Drumming Song' by Florence + the Machine, fact fans)

Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

_**Louder than Sirens..**_

_** Louder than bells..**_

The throbbing in her head was all she could think about. The pain felt like a drum beating at a constant rhythm, each hit all the more painful than the last.

_Thump, thump, thump…_

Lisa Garland clutched her hand to her bandaged head as she reclined further on the red couch. She gave a soft moan. This was the third headache this week.. They were slowly getting worse.

_Thump, thump, thump…_

All those long hours at the hospital must be causing the pain. That's got to be it, Lisa thought to herself. It felt safer to have a reason for this agony. And those pills.. those _damn_ pills weren't helping any. Or at least as much as she'd like them to. They were probably only exacerbating the problem.

_Thump, thump, thump…_

Sweat beads were starting to cluster on her forehead. When was the last time she'd eaten anyway? She couldn't even remember. Her work/life balance had been at an unfair ratio as soon as she'd been employed at Alchemilla. Small hands connected to thin wrists clutched her head, ruffling her hair. She even begin scratching at her forehead, as if trying to summon a different sort of pain that would be preferable to this.

_Thump, thump, thump…_

_Nurses_, she thought with scrunched up face. _Great at taking care of other people, not so great at taking care of themselves_. She pushed her auburn bangs from her forehead, discovering that she was alarmingly warm. Her forehead had fashioned a slight glint from the sweat build-up. Lisa's wound gave a painful sting to remind her it was still there as she accidentally brushed over it. She omitted a small cry.

_Thump, thump, thump…_

Lisa wanted Harry.. She blushed when she remembered how she exclaimed 'Harry Houdini!' upon Harry's introduction. How queer she must have looked.. Standing beside a crashed car in a hospital with a gushing head wound and still able to crack jokes. Lisa regretted letting him go. Right now she felt vulnerable.. She needed someone to help her, protect her. And Harry seemed like a sweet enough guy. He didn't even peek when she got changed into her 'weekend' clothes. Now her normally loose, comfortable clothes made her feel restricted, as the 'thump' sounds in her head got louder, louder, louder. _Harry, please come back soon.._

_Thump, thump, thump…_

Lisa shuddered as her eyes began to close. She wanted sleep, she _needed_ sleep, she thought as she absentmindedly caressed the heavy bags under her now dull, lifeless green eyes. As a nurse, she knew she shouldn't go to sleep with such a head injury, no matter how unimportant she had dismissed it as to Harry earlier - it was a well known nurse etude. As a human, however, she realised how much she needed the reassuring slumber that was sleep. Something as needed to numb the torturous pain that didn't come in a small plastic container. She assumed a sleeping position, both hands fashioning into a makeshift cushion for her sore head as she lay on her side.

_Thump, thump.._

Lisa's eyelids became heavy. It was futile to resist such a massive weight.. Her eyelids became blackout shutters over the pearly organs underneath.

_Thump.._

And then Lisa fell asleep.

* * *

_..Wh-what the hell?_

Lisa opened her eyes to find herself in a small, dirty room. _THUMP!_ She clutched both hands to her head, distraught to find the pain had not vanished with sleep. Upon focussing, she stood up and took in the room, immediately identifying it as the examination room in Alchemilla. _But.. why am I here? How did I get here?_ This was definitely within Alchemilla, she observed. She recognised the charts on the walls, the x-ray scans but.. wait.. There was blood on the walls, splattered all over. The ceiling too, and the floors. Observing closer, she realised this wasn't her Alchemilla. This was a crude imitation. The walls were stained with blood and the floors had taken on a metal grid form. _What the HELL is going on here? _

A acute rush of pain in her head brought Lisa to her knees. The agony was building up to a dramatic crescendo. The girl screamed out in pain as she held onto her head tightly.

Suddenly, there was a bang at the door in front of her. Lisa momentarily forgot about her pain and sidled to the back wall, facing the door. There were no tables, no chairs, no hiding places available to her. Now it was her heart that was thumping.

Lisa breath quickened as she saw the door open, totally unaware of what was going to greet her.

The door swung open. A tall, brown haired man with torch in hand Lisa immediately identified as Harry Mason cautiously ambled into the room. The nurse expelled a sigh of relief and took a step forward. It was Harry.. Harry Mason.. Her Harry.. Harry Houdini.

"Harry!"

"…Lisa?"

Lisa was confused by his apparent apprehension and ceased advancing forward. Upon completing this movement, she felt something warm move down her forehead, travelling over the bridge of her nose and seeping into her parted lips. It tasted distinctive - coppery.

_..Blood?_

She touched her head wound. It was still firmly bandaged. The blood was coming in small violent rivers from the area where her hairline met her forehead, gaining momentum. A feeling she had felt all too often in her childhood made itself apparent in her nose. She touched it and looked at her hand. More blood.

"..Harry? What's happening to me?"

Harry, her hero, the sweet guy who she had invited back to her apartment was now backing away from her, towards the door entrance. It soon became apparent why. Lisa felt fluid building in her eyes and the familiar tear fall. But this sensation was different. Her tears felt thicker.. Touching under her eyes, she only saw more blood on her fingertips, staring at them in disbelief.. _What.. What is this?_

What started as small rivulets of blood trickling from the orifices on her face now became huge gushes, obscuring her tired, pale face in a scarlet red.

She felt weak.. Her body felt detached. Every fibre of her form ached, cried, pleaded for help. She stumbled forward, her blood dripping onto the floor, on her clothes, and reached for Harry.

"Ha..Harry.."

His face contorted in fear as he withdrew further towards the entrance.

Lisa collapsed on the floor, still pleading, arm still outstretched for Harry's hand. "P-please, Harry.."

The man looked horrified, visibly shaking at the girl in front of him. She was completely drenched now in her own blood. He took the final steps towards the entrance, shutting the door behind him.

Lisa's arm remained outstretched for Harry, even as she watched him close the door on her and heard a lock. "No.. n-no.. H-Harry.. HARRY! P-please.. H-help". She crawled towards the door, just falling short of being able to touch it before she blacked out.

* * *

The young nurse awoke with a jump, and found herself back in her apartment. Sighing with relief, she returned to lying on her back, one hand to her head and the other falling to her leg. _What a horrible dream…_

Glancing at her cell phone on the coffee table, Lisa considered calling Harry - she had no idea just how long she'd spent sleeping and she'd rather like some strong hands to protect her in this fragile state. Her head continued to deliver sharp pangs, causing her to tense up.

Lisa was about to reach for her phone when she felt something running under the hand she had rested on her bandage. _What..?_ She swiftly removed her hand and glanced at it. It was covered in blood. Screaming, her hand fell to the couch, leaving a bloody print. The pounding in her head was only getting louder and she could feel warm streams gently travel down her face. Grabbing her phone, Lisa punched in numbers with bloody fingers, leaving scarlet traces all over the glowing buttons.

The terrified girl gave Harry no time to answer. "Harry.. Oh, Harry.. I don't feel well..". She could hardly hear her own voice over the drumming noise in her head.

"What's wrong?"

"I..I woke up. I had a terrible dream. There.. There's blood everywhere..". Another sharp pang and another rivulet of blood. It found its way into her mouth, leaving a metallic taste that made her feel even more sick. "Oh, God, Harry!"

"..Just..try to stay calm, Lisa. I'm coming"

"Please hurry! I…" Lisa's fingers snapped to the disconnect button as she felt something in her left eye make a popping noise, consequently leading to a stream of hot plasma drip down to her chin.

Around two minutes later, Harry arrived - an impressive time considering the distance between the two. However, by this time, blood was leaking from every orifice of Lisa's face, and she could only manage a weak tilt of the head and a slight raise of the arm. "H-Harry?" she asked, a terrified expression on her face, before breathing one last sigh. 

And then the thumping ceased.

* * *

Gotta love Silent Hill.

"...Have you seen a little girl? Short, black hair? Just turned seven?"


End file.
